Fists and Words
by Ritsu-San
Summary: The spoken word is not always mightier than a fist to the face. Denzel and his family come face to face with this long struggle. Slight Cloti, various amounts of fluff. T for mentions of violence and slight language


**A little one-shot I wrote in like... a half hour. I've got a good pile of ideas now, so crisis is over ;D This story revolves around mainly Denzel and the old battle between the spoken word vs. a fist in the face.**

**Warnings: Slight language, mentions of violence, and some fluff**

**Disclaimer: It's not my franchise. I don't own it. I'd be a lot richer if I did (and I'd probably be Japanese..)**

**Fists and Words**

Going to the principal's office was always a nightmare for a kid. It was also hellish for the parent or guardian involved. Tifa never got sent to the principal's office as a child, although she certainly knew kids who had. Cloud had all the time, considering he was picked on so much, and he always fought back. She supposed that it was only fitting, in a not-so-good way, for Denzel to be in the same situation. He certainly liked to take after his adoptive father.

When she had hurried into his school after receiving the dreaded phone call, she found him in a chair in the principal's office, shoulders slumped and face sketched in lines of anger. The principal had been waiting, and began after exchanging greetings.

"Denzel was in a fight today at recess with a few boys in his class. From theirs and a few other witnesses' accounts, Denzel threw the first punch."

"And where are they? They fought back, from what I can tell." She could clearly see a blossoming black eye on his little face, along with a few scrapes and scratches.

"At the nurse's. They were merely defending themselves, so I didn't find it necessary to bring them in here, although their parents have certainly been notified. Denzel, will you tell Tifa why you started fighting?" His eyes rested on Denzel, and made him squirm uncomfortably.

But Denzel still looked ticked off, and wasn't afraid of explaining it to Tifa. "They were picking on the autistic kid in our class at recess. I really did try to make them stop by talking to them, but they kept at it. One of them shoved me away, and that's kind of when I… punched him." He looked up at Tifa pleadingly. "Honest. They always pick on him and no one ever does anything."

"Denzel, you're supposed to tell one of the playground monitors if something like that happens, not handle it yourself." The principal told him sternly.

"So they can what? Scold them and tell them to stop? They'll just do it the next time. They don't listen to anybody. That's why I punched them. I wanted to stick up for Bobby."

"Denzel, out in the real world, punching out people and fighting doesn't solve anything. And it's certainly not civilized. You have to-"

"That's not true." Tifa knew Denzel was going to get punished for what he did regardless of what she said, but she'd be damned if she wasn't going to side with him. "We've always taught Denzel to talk things out with people first. But that doesn't always work. What I don't get is, why were those kids allowed to defend themselves, even though I think that's bullshit, but Denzel couldn't defend and fight for someone who couldn't? I think that's a little hypocritical."

Denzel smiled at Tifa, even though the principal did anything but. "Denzel will still face a three-day suspension, even if you think him acting like a barbarian-"

Tifa let her temper get to her as she slammed her hand down on his desk. "Don't ever call him a barbarian, and I'm going to let you in on a little secret: there are people out in this world who deserve a good punch, Mr. Holub. I don't know where you live, but in "the real world", people don't like to listen often. If you're going to suspend Denzel, then fine. I'll take him home. But don't think for a second that I'm going to agree with you. If those kids got punched, than they more than likely deserved it." She stepped back before _she _decided to punch the man, and put a hand on Denzel's shoulder. "Let's go sweetie." She led him out, but glanced back at the principal before walking out. "Kids are jerks sometimes. I bet you this Bobby kid won't be bothered by them for a long while. I think that's what counts in the end."

Cloud had been filled in on the details when he came home from deliveries. Like Tifa, he sided with Denzel, although he only begrudgingly accepted the suspension. That night, after Denzel and Marlene (who had been tizzy with excitement that her "brother" beat up those "stupid boys") were in bed, Tifa and Cloud sat down to talk over what happened.

"It's just stupid Teef. I've seen those kids he was fighting with. They're little brats."

"Well, they'll be aching for a few days thanks to our "barbarian", as the principal called him."

"Great. Because name-calling is real mature."

Tifa barked out a laugh. "You know, I wish you were there. I didn't even think of that, even though I was pissed enough that he called Denz that."

"Principals like Holub are hypocrites by nature. Mr. Sheen in Nibelheim was like that. I don't know how many times I had to "defend myself" and I still got in trouble for it. I swear, they target kids whose upbringing isn't normal and scapegoat them. I didn't have a father, so everyone assumed by that that I would be a troublemaker."

"I was wondering if the two of us being fighters might have had something to do with it. How are you supposed to raise kids when their schools' standards and ideas are totally different than your own? Denzel got into trouble today because we told him to always stand up for himself and for those who couldn't. They're going to think of him as some bad kid, and he's not. I just…" Tifa let out a sigh. "I don't know what to do. Those kids' parents are probably going to be calling and whatnot tomorrow and… it's such a mess."

Cloud reached over to her, holding her hand in his. "Just see how it plays out, I guess."

Cloud took off the next day to stay with Tifa, and he was glad he did. They were harassed call after phone call from the parents of those boys Denzel beat up. Denzel was called a variety of cruel things, from monster to a little punk. Their parenting was also insulted, saying they were teaching him to be violent. Cloud eventually had enough and disconnected their phone line, and kept their cell phones on silent. Denzel came down later, giving Tifa a big hug and insisting she was the best mom in the world (he pretty much got the gist of what was being said from Tifa's crying and Cloud's yelling).

When Marlene came home from school, she peered inside the bar. "Denzel!" She called out.

He hurried down the stairs, and frowned at her. "What?"

"Bobby and his sister wanna talk to you." Marlene stepped inside, and Denzel got a clear view of Bobby and his older sister, Beth.

Beth was smiling, and so was Bobby, even though he was staring off in space. "Bobby and I just wanted to come over and say thanks. I know you got into a lot of trouble, but I'm glad someone stuck up for him, ya know?" Beth shifted, keeping a tight grip on Bobby's hand. "He doesn't talk much and all, but I could tell he was really happy. He wasn't bugged at all today on the playground, even though you weren't there." She nudged her brother. "Say thank you to Denzel."

Bobby didn't say anything, although he did actually make eye contact and grin at Denzel. Denzel grinned back. "Glad you're ok Bobby."

The boy stared away from him, and his eyes slightly glazed over as his mind went elsewhere, as was typical. Beth tugged on his hand. "We gotta get going. Thanks again Denzel. And oh, my mom told me to tell you to tell your parents that if you need anything, let us know."

The kids exchanged good-byes, and Marlene closed the door behind them.

From the top of the stairs, Tifa let out a quiet sigh of relief, and leaned back against Cloud, who had also been watching. Both guardians smiled, realizing that, despite the phone calls, the insults, the hypocrisy, and whatever else lied ahead, they knew one thing:

There were some things in this world worth getting into trouble for, and little Bobby was one of them.


End file.
